Nancy Danoff, MD, Spirit of Service Award

2009 - Kim Rechner

Photo caption: Kim Rechner (with award) and prior award recipients, from left to right, Ginna Wall, Michele Crocket, MerrieLynn Rice, Nancy Danoff, and Lisa DiGiorgio.

2008 - Michele Crockett, IBCLC, PCPA, LLLL

For almost thirty years, Michele has volunteered as a breastfeeding peer counselor and  has trained over 200 other peer counselors.  First getting involved in childbirth education and La Leche League in Okinawa where her family was transferred in the early 1980’s, Michele realized how important it was for mothers to support mothers in an environment were everyone was isolated from home.  Once back in the United States, she began to appreciate the impact and importance of breastfeeding in the greater community and became involved in La Leche League administration. 

In 1995, Michele worked on LLL leader accreditation, but stopped keeping track of how many leaders she accredited after she reached 100.  She also served as the Executive Director of LLL of Washington from 2003-2006.

Michele volunteers her time with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Snohomish County, becoming president in 2007. In 2003, she became a Pregnancy Aid/WIC Nutrition Program of Snohomish County Certifier and in 2007 the Program’s Coordinator. 

Now a grandmother of six, she is delighted that her daughters and daughters-in-law did not have to agonize about the same things she did. Michele has selflessly led efforts to train peer counselors, educate and support mothers and organize events and administer programs to support breastfeeding for more than three decades.

2007 - Ginna Wall, MN, RN, IBCLC

 

Ginna Wall was one of the first International Board Certified Lactation Consultants in Washington State. In 1986, she founded the lactation program at the University of Washington Medical Center, where she works today as the coordinator of Lactation Services. Ginna has educated hundreds of health professionals worldwide about every aspect of breastfeeding. She is a member of the UW Clinical Faculty for the School of Nursing, Adjunct Faculty at Bastyr University, and an instructor at the Seattle Midwifery School.

Ginna wrote the first Breastfeeding Nursing Diagnoses accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. She is a member of the exam committee of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and contributes to the development of the exam each year. She has written articles for numerous publications and regularly updates a widely-used annotated bibliography of research on the outcomes of breastfeeding versus formula feeding.

Ginna is an active member of the Physician Lactation Education Collaborative of Washington, a project of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington and a founding member of the Seattle-King County Breastfeeding Coalition. She received the March of Dimes, Washington Chapter, Distinguished Nurse of the Year Award in 2005.

2006 - MerrieLynn Rice, RN, IBCLC

 

MerrieLynn has been the Coordinator of the Pierce County Breastfeeding Alliance for six years. The Alliance is one of the most active local coalitions in Washington, taking on a variety of activities from year to year. MerrieLynn has been a critical leader in the effort to promote breastfeeding, and impact policy and systems change in Pierce County. Examples of her leadership include: working with the Tacoma Human Rights Commission to protect breastfeeding, providing information to numerous Pierce County employers about supporting breastfeeding employees, assisting in legislative efforts, and providing breastfeeding training to childcare providers and social workers.

MerrieLynn also promotes breastfeeding by working as a public health nurse and lactation consultant. She provides breastfeeding education in local high schools and programs targeting pregnant teens. In January, MerrieLynn was selected by the BCW to attend the first National Conference of State Breastfeeding Coalitions held in Alexandria, VA.

2005 - Helen Baker-St. John, MD

Nancy Danoff, MD presented the 2005 BCW Spirit of Service Award to Helen Baker, MD.

"It is with gratitude and admiration that I present this award to Dr. Helen Baker, a pediatrician who has been leading the often times uphill battle to promote and support breastfeeding for over half a century. Raised on a small farm in Maryland with three siblings, two cows and 300 chickens, she earned her way through college during World War II working as a nursing aide at a local hospital, where maternity ward service seemed most rewarding to her. She graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1951, where women made up an unusually high 15% of the class for the time. Her commitment to breastfeeding was kindled by her observation that while young mothers seemed very interested in nursing, doctors, hospitals and the general public lagged behind in knowledge, and support or gave tacit approval to policies that impeded mothers' efforts to breastfeed. During those dark days, Helen, a working mother, managed to breastfeed all of her four children.

"In 36 years as an attending pediatrician at the University of Washington, Helen partnered with clinical nurses, La Leche League, lactation consultants, and the Health Department to teach and support breastfeeding mothers. She has taught public health nurses in Washington, on Indian reservations in Nevada and Eskimo villages in Alaska, nurse practitioners at the UW Nursing School, and medical students and residents at the UW Medical School and residency training programs. After her retirement as clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, she has remained active in breastfeeding promotion, as one of the founding members of the Seattle King County Breastfeeding Promotion Task Force and as lecturer on breastfeeding for medical students and community physicians.

"In Helen, we have a dedicated, indefatigable champion of breastfeeding mothers, and a repository of experience and colorful anecdotes. It is a great honor to have known her, and to present her with the Spirit of Service Award for 2005."

2004 - Molly Pessl, RN, IBCLC

Nancy Danoff, MD presented the  2004 BCW Spirit of Service Award to Molly Pessl, RN, IBCLC. For 18 years Molly worked at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland where she developed education programs, Evergreen's regional breastfeeding center, a postpartum follow-up clinic and baby-parent groups. These accomplishments lead to Evergreen becoming the first US designated "Baby Friendly" hospital by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. In 2000, she received the Special Service Award from the Washington State WIC program for the ten years of contributions to breastfeeding education she had made in training WIC employees throughout our state. Molly is past president of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. She is a registered nurse, childbirth educator and Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

"In Molly, we have an ardent, insightful, knowledgeable, and thoroughly dedicated individual, who has worked in breastfeeding promotion and support for almost as long as I have been alive. I truly believe that this award would be better named the Molly Pessl Spirit of Service Award and I am delighted to present it today for the year 2004 to her," shared Nancy.

Molly is currently the director of Evergreen Perinatal Education, a consulting program for professionals. She had served on the BCW Western Steering Committee, since its inception and has been a member of the Seattle-King County Breastfeeding Coalition even longer.

2002 - Lisa DiGiorgio, MPH, RD, CD

Former BCW Western Co-chair, Nancy Danoff, MD presented the 2002 "Spirit of Service Award" to Lisa DiGiorgio, MPH, RD, CD. Lisa's commitment to breastfeeding and childhood nutrition has been unwavering for the past fifteen years. She has worked for WIC Administration at Public Health - Seattle & King County since 1993. Also in 1993, she was instrumental in founding the Seattle King County Breastfeeding Task Force and helped identify Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies as the organization that could and did eventually take on the creation of the BCW. She has been very involved in the development of two breastfeeding TV public service announcements, the development and marketing of the "King County Community Resources for Breastfeeding" now in its 4th edition, the organization of breastfeeding space and signage in the Pacific Science Center and the development of the Metro Bus Sign breastfeeding promotion project, among many other endeavors. Shirley Hutchins, Lisa's supervisor, accepted the award on Lisa's behalf since she was out of the country the day of the conference.

2001- Kay Batt, IBCLC, La Leche League Leader

Kay Batt, IBCLC, La Leche League Leader, received the Nancy Danoff, MD Spirit of Service Award, an award created to recognize and honor an individual whose dedication and leadership has significantly contributed to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding as a vital part of the health and development of children and their families.

Kay has been an active member of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington since its beginning. She was instrumental in the formation of her local coalition and served as the local coalition coordinator for four years. She has been an active member of the BCW's Western Steering Committee for five years. She is a long-time member of La Leche League and has been a La Leche League Leader for thirty years. In addition, she volunteers as a mediator, helping to resolve family disputes in King County. She has raised five children and has eight grandchildren. She is a breast cancer survivor and started a breast cancer survivors support group in her community.

Kay gave birth to her three children in the 1950's and 1960's when breastfeeding was considered an oddity and artificial feeding was the norm. When asked how she got involved with breastfeeding promotion she said, "It was 1956 and my neighbor had given birth a few months before I was due to have my first baby. She was breastfeeding and was the 'talk of the neighborhood.' It seemed acceptable to people because after all, this woman, the neighbor, was French. When Kay told her doctor of her plans to breastfeed, he patted her knee and said "Now, now, you don't want to do something that will interfere with your husbands needs, do you?" Needless to say, Kay had her baby's best interests at heart and told me, her husbands' needs didn't suffer one bit. When she put her baby to her breast right after birth, all of the medical residents crowded around her bed to watch. Kay had each of her babies in a different state as her husband's job required them to move frequently. With each birth she educated the medical personnel attending her. Despite their inaccurate knowledge and attempts to dissuade her, Kay persevered.

Kay has done more then persevere through the years. Her passion for healthy, happy babies and mothers has fueled her to give and give and give. Kay worked briefly as a receptionist before her first child's birth, since then all of her work has been as a volunteer. The Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington and La Leche League, to say nothing of thousands of mother's and babies have benefited tremendously from her energy and devotion.

2000 - Nancy Danoff, MD, MPH 

Nancy Danoff, MD, MPH receives the first Spirit of Service Award established in her honor, 2000. Dr. Danoff is pictured with BCW Executive Committee members, from left to right, Jean O'Leary, MaryAnn O'Hara, Ginny English, and Kimberly Radtke. 

In 2000, in honor of Dr. Nancy Danoff, a founding member and active participant of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, the "Nancy Danoff, MD, Spirit of Service Award" was established. This award is meant to recognize and honor individuals like Dr. Danoff, whose dedication, volunteerism, commitment, accomplishments and leadership significantly contribute to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding as a vital part of the health and development of children and their families. This award is for an individual who acknowledges breastfeeding as a health issue and seeks to make a difference in the community by working with others to support the rights of women and children. In 2000, this award was presented to its namesake, Dr. Nancy Danoff.

In 1995, Dr. Danoff was instrumental in the creation of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington (BCW). At that time, she also became a member of the Board of Directors of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Washington and the first Western Regional chairperson of the BCW. In 1998, Dr. Danoff was asked by the Western Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to serve as Breastfeeding Coordinator for the Chapter. She saw this as an opportunity, not only to enhance her colleagues' understanding of current breastfeeding issues and promotional activities in Washington state, but also to involve the AAP in sponsoring direct outreach projects to support breastfeeding.

Dr. Nancy Danoff has worked as a pediatrician at Eastgate Public Health since 1992.

She got involved in breastfeeding promotion for a number of reasons. As a pediatric resident she received absolutely no breastfeeding training in her program. She learned everything she knew at the time through her own positive experiences breastfeeding her two children. She felt that physicians caring for mothers and children needed more consistent and informed training. "It makes sense to breastfeed--the babies are healthier, mothers are healthier, families are healthier, the maternal-child bond is strengthened, it's better for the environment, it saves money. I know some mothers have a rough time getting started, but I believe that if they have the support they need, they can overcome many of their difficulties," says Dr. Danoff